The photos on Booking.com for our hotel were taken pre-renovations. We imagine that soon the rates will jump considerably. We feel lucky to have stumbled on this gem….Jisco Hotel Obama Onsen.
Our room on the top floor had a wonderful view of the town and ocean. You can see the wonderful steam emanating from the ground which gave us a wonderful experience in the hotel’s onsen last night. The wooden slatted wall section is where the outside pool is located. It is so good when you have multiple pools of different temperatures available, one inside and one outside. The Onsens for both the men and women had these options.
It is hard to explain the effect of the steam…it is certainly hot but not uncomfortable and it feels like it is cleansing your pores as you stand there. I had stopped as I could hear the water boiling beneath me through the grate on the road. What a sight that was when I looked down. Residents use this precious resource for cooking, heating their homes, therapeutic treatments….
It is sobering to read about this fault running beneath our feet and that it extends across the island. We read that the threat of earthquake is very real here and there is constant movement from the fault. We also stopped as we were admiring a well established old farm alongside this river. We wish them well.
We are having a wonderful ride this morning through villages, fishing ports and farmland. Being able to travel slowly through rural Japan continues to be a highlight for us.
Fishing is a lifestyle as well as a big part of the economy in these coastal villages.
Village homes make use of every bit of space they can to grow vegetables and flowers. We have become accustomed to seeing seniors walking with the same bent over posture as this man has while he is stooped over digging up some potatoes. We fear that their life of labour in the fields has taken a toll, that cannot be reversed.
We will be sorry to leave this part of Kyushu. Its beauty and charm have captivated us. This has been an extraordinary day of riding. Nonetheless, the Amakusa Islands are calling to us. We have read accounts of cyclists coming here and it has whet our appetite to move on.. We could have stayed at the last town where the ferry departs from but Amakusa awaits. We took a chance taking a later ferry as we have no idea where we may stay tonight. We know that there is very limited accomodation here, but we do have our tent.
Waiting in the ferry line gave us a chance to interact with locals and the ferry crew. We have found that our trikes (which arouse curiosity just because they are so odd), and the fact that we are cycle touring breaks barriers with locals. Regardless of language barriers, we somehow understand each other. When all else fails, google translate comes to the rescue.
We tried to stay at a local guesthouse…we did find it. However, the doors were open, the owner was not there and nothing had been cleaned up from the day before. We moved on and we decided to wild camp at this spectacular spot. It is called Wakamiya Park Camping Ground
This campground is free and by that we mean no cost at all. Some official Free Campground have fees. This place has flush toilets, cold showers and the most beautiful view. Best of all, just behind the campground is a store which is stocked by the local farmers and crafts people. The women who work here go out of their way to make you feel welcome. We knew that Amakusa Islands are reputed to be special and this experience confirms it.
